THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES starts out like a 1980s crime movie before turning into a complex piece with two narrative shifts.   It is a statement on crime and corruption in addition to what fathers would do for their sons.  Ryan Gosling is a motorcycle stuntman traveling from state fair to state fair.  He finds out an ex-lover, Romina, had a baby and he is the father.  He decides to stick around and turns to robbing banks in hopes of building a family with Romina and his son.   There is also the story of Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper), a cop, and his journey from cop to politician.   These two stories intersect more than once with THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES making a narrative leap of fifteen years later where the sons of Luke and Avery meet during high school.

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES starts out as a normal movie from a different time as I felt I was watching a 1980s crime drama only to have it defy expectations and switch to a story about corruption within the police as Avery wants to be a just man that leads to the sons of Avery (AJ) and Luke (Jason) getting into trouble together.  AJ is spiraling out of control while Jason wants to have purpose.  He finds out about his father and it sets the stage for the climax.     The two central characters make tough choices as fathers while the teenage sons make dumb mistakes.   Luke and Avery’s decisions haunt them as their sins will come back at them even if it is through their sons.  Luke wants to have his family together while Avery wants to improve things for his job.  

This movie has many interesting visuals to it.   The camera can glide along with the character while sometimes move crazily with the action (Luke escaping on the motorcycle from a bank robbery).   The opening scene made me think of the opening in DRIVE.  I wonder how Ryan Gosling will use what he learned from the directors he worked with and how he will apply it when he directs his own movie this summer.   THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES is a little long and sometimes a little unwieldy, but it is a rewarding drama for those who want a complex film instead of the usual film that goes from point A to point B.   The narrative twists surprised me while the story gave me something new to witness as it is one of the most interesting character dramas of this year.

this movie review is (c)5-3-2013 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com